


The Road Back

by katamari



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Elf Culture & Customs, Elf/Human Relationship(s), M/M, Mead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 09:10:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14493645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katamari/pseuds/katamari
Summary: Kihyun's life is quiet and without complications - he's the owner and mazer of the Summerstrand Meadery, in a small town no longer focused on the dragons and creatures of centuries past. He believes what the rest of the village does, that everything had died out, until he stumbles on a young man with strangely pointed ears...





	The Road Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Krimmro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krimmro/gifts).



The dragons had been dead for a thousand years. 

The temples that dotted the countryside now stood silent and alone, save for a few remaining orders of monks who remained sequestered in them, no visitors allowed. The doors were held shut with a heavy padlock, half-rusted into place. For all anyone knew, they had died centuries before, and the food that the townspeople left as offerings were eaten by raccoons.  
The residents of Garen’s Well were no different. Each week, a representative was sent down the river with a bundle of food – stout, heavy rye bread from the Son bakery, cheese and dried meat from the Lee farm. The Kang family provided apples, the widow Oh with healing potions and salves.  
And from the Summerstrand Meadery, Yoo Kihyun’s most popular brew. Rumor had it that he laced the mead with a taste-altering potion, but a mage had confirmed it – Yoo Kihyun’s bees simply produced the sweetest honey in town, no magic required. Besides, that was forbidden – only the college mages could study, and then only for parlor tricks.

The dragons were dead. There was no need for magic or spells or tales of magic creatures.

When it was Kihyun’s turn to bring the carefully-wrapped packages to the old monastery, he never really minded the trip. He simply rose earlier than normal to tend his bees and make sure that production was being managed while he made the half-day trip. He enjoyed the chance to stop, to think, to fish and nap and dream about when the temple was bustling.

He picked his way through the outskirts of the village – one had to be careful there, he buildings were well rotted and crumbling. When Kihyun was young, he used to run and play in the structures despite his mother’s warning.  
“This is the elves’ territory. If they find you here, they’ll snatch you away to their village and kill you.” Kihyun would fearfully return to his mother’s skirts, the top of his head barely visible lest he face the wrath of invisible elves. When he got older, he realized that the warnings were because of how the old skeletal buildings could fall without warning on an oblivious child. After all, elves were dead, just like the dragons.  
Even though Kihyun was a man now, having turned twenty-four in the fall and officially took over the meadery, he still liked to daydream on his long walks. The half-burnt signpost was a tall marker proudly proclaiming the location of Garen’s Well (and a smaller one to identify where the site of the mythical well actually was). A squirrel rustling through the trees was a horse, thundering along the road to trade or bring news to the villagers. If he closed his eyes, he could still hear crowds laughing and chatting as they made their way up to the temple, the smell of fish grilling mixed in with the aroma of spices and perfumes from the southlands, whispers about lizard-people and blue-skinned elves and all of the other strange, wonderful things that Kihyun had always wanted to see.

But the crowds were dead, the rest just fantasy.

He trudged onward, the spires of the monastery looming over him as the building came into view, the weathered offering box resting off to the right, the horse tied up and waiting patiently for its master—

\--a _horse?_

The sudden sound of knocking jerked Kihyun’s attention away from the animal. A man stood at the door of the building, pounding frantically with both fists against wood that shuddered with every vibration. His yells were incomprehensible, but Kihyun could determine the intent behind them.

“Do you need help?” he called, unsure if the man could understand him. “Hello?”

The man turned for a moment, and Kihyun couldn’t quite make out his features beyond his long, matted hair before the stranger collapsed. Kihyun raced towards the now-unconscious man and could see layers of grime and open wounds – what had happened? There hadn’t been reports of war in the area for almost a century, and bandits were few and far between – a wolf, perhaps, or a bear?

“He needs help!” he yelled, yet the monastery door didn’t budge. “I know you have herbs—“

So did he, he remembered, in the offering sack. If the monks wouldn’t help someone at their doorstep, he would. He packed the man’s wounds as best he could with the salve, but he’d have to bring him to the widow Oh for more scrutiny. The monks would just have to do without their herbs for the month.

Getting him on the horse was more of a task, but he somehow managed to drape his body over the horse’s saddle – if he could lead it slowly back to Garen’s Well, he could at least get him a bath and his wounds treated.

What language had he yelled in? It didn’t sound like Common at all, and any other languages were dead, just like everything else.

He led the horse back, sack in hand and question weighing heavily on his mind.

\--

When dusk came over the village, a figure hurried from the herbalist’s shop, up the steep hill towards the meadery. The loud hum of cicadas and the fading sunlight hid her path – Kihyun had emphasized discretion with his note. 

The widow Oh arrived precisely at Kihyun’s specified time, just as he was leaving the meadery’s cask building, and with the specified herbal kit. She wore a look of confusion on her finely-lined face – while several of her salves and poultices could be used on animals, bees weren’t part of her usual clientele.  
“You’re having a problem with your hives?” she asked, curious. “I’m not sure how much help I can be.”

“No, not my hives.” Kihyun’s voice was low, despite the meadery being outside of the village and the overwhelming cicada buzz drowning out any chance of hearing him. “A person. He was trying to get into the monastery, no one answered the door and the man fainted. I couldn’t just leave him there, I – I used the herbs that were in the offering.” Guilt seeped through his words.  
A look of understanding dawned on her face. “Where is he? If he’s still unconscious, he’ll need more than just what I put in the bag.”  
The mazer suddenly breathed out and led her into his spacious home. A fire inside made things cozy, but Oh Yanja was more interested in the man lying in front of it. Kihyun had enough sense to put him on a rug and near the fire, but not enough to wash him or properly care for his wounds.

“We need to undress him,” she decided, not mincing her words. “He could have more injuries that are covered, and he clearly hasn’t bathed in days. Come on, help me.”

She left no room for arguing; Kihyun had to quietly assist her in fetching water and stripping the man down to his loincloth. As Yanja had predicted, more wounds were hidden under his faded clothing, ones that needed her attention while he tried to wash away the dirt and grime.

Kihyun couldn’t look away – underneath the layers of grime was a muscular young man, his chest decorated with elaborate tattoos. No one practiced that art anymore, not anywhere that he knew, not even in the cities.

Art was unnecessary. Art was dead.

“He spoke a foreign language,” Kihyun spoke after a long silence, in which he cleaned and she worked. “Could it have been from the exhaustion?”

“That’s possible, or perhaps linked to birth defects.” When Kihyun looked up in surprise, she gestured towards his ear. “See how it’s pointed? Such a shame, he’s quite handsome.”

Kihyun’s gaze settle upon the man’s ear – the amount of earrings was interesting, but what was more curious was the pointed tip, like out of the old stories that the village elders would tell to entertain the children about magical creatures – the elves, with all of their sub-races and cultures, breathtakingly beautiful but deadly. It was the wars that were their undoing, they were told, which was why it was so important to follow the new laws and practices.  
The man fit the description perfectly – wounded and scarred from battle, but still had an ethereal quality that shown through as the remainder of the grime was removed from his skin in hair. The tattoos, the piercings – Kihyun racked his brain, trying to remember the old tales.

“He looks like a Shadar-Kai elf, doesn’t he?”

“From the legends? I suppose you could say that, but they’ve been dead for thousands of years, if they even existed. I haven’t thought of those stories since I was a girl. They’re just stories, Kihyun,” she continued, noting the disappointed look on the mazer’s face. “You’re a man now, with your own business. Focus on your mead.”

She helped dress then man in some of Kihyun’s more comfortable clothing and arranged a blanket over him.

“But….you know, I do believe you’re right. He certainly lives like a Shadar-Kai.”

\--  
The fire kept crackling for two days, yet the tattooed elf-man still lay unconscious in front of it. Kihyun dutifully followed the instructions given to him by the herbalist, and while they didn’t seem to affect his consciousness, the wounds he had were certainly looking better.

He worried every time he ran out to his hives, every time he stepped into the meadery, when he went underground to check on his casks. Usually, these would be his favorite places – the hives’ calming hum, the liveliness of his customers when they came to check his newest product, the quiet and cool basement where his product sat, aging and fermenting and promising to smell sweet and taste just as intoxicating. It was hard to embrace the stillness or join in his customers’ laughter when the question of the stranger weighed heavily on his mind.

Would he wake up? Were his ears really a birth defect?

Kihyun quietly closed his meadery for the evening.  
\--  
What he didn’t expect was to see the stranger sitting up and brandishing a knife from the dinner that Kihyun had left for him. His knuckles clutched white around the weapon, his eyes wild as he struggled to stand up. He muttered frantically in his unusual language – the same that Kihyun had heard at the monastery.

 _I’m not having a dream…_ Kihyun looked down at his hands and saw the small burn he had given himself earlier that day; it still stung. _Not a dream, you don’t hurt in dreams._

He growled threateningly and turned the knife onto Kihyun, who suddenly threw his hands up. “I’m not going to hurt you!”

The knife thrust through the air in front of it, cutting down an invisible enemy. The mazer stepped back, trying to give him all of the space he needed. The further away he went, the more the tattooed stranger seemed to relax.

“I was taking care of you,” Kihyun tried, slowly. “…Can you understand me? Do you speak Common?”

The man paused, then touched a spot behind his ear while he concentrated.

“Yes.” The words were low and hoarse. “I understand you now.” 

That offered some modicum of relief for the young man and Kihyun sighed, offering his guest a tentative smile. "Ah, good. Are you in pain? Widow Oh left some herbs that might help with that. If you could just put the knife down..."

“What is this place?” he demanded, his grip on the knife still tigh. His chest ached, his legs—his legs seared in agony; his face twisted into a sick grimace. “Why are you holding me hostage here? The Shadar-Kai do not take orders from a coward.”

All color drained from Kihyun's face. Shadar-Kai? It couldn't be possible. Elves were just stories, tales to keep errant children well-behaved. They weren't real. "Y-you collapsed in front of the monastery. You were hurt.." he stammered.

“So this is the monastery.” He nodded in understanding and set the knife down. “My name is Hyungwon, of the Shadar-Kai. We are few, but our colony has survived the Dragon Wars—why aren’t they teaching the new monks Elven?” Hyungwon looked at the young mazer curiously.

"The monastery didn't let you in," Kihyun said quietly, almost feeling the need to apologize to the elf - and that's what Hyungwon had to be. "I own the meadery not far from there. I couldn't just leave you out there, hurt and alone."

“Why wouldn’t…” Hyungwon briefly closed his eyes, his memory returning – pounding on the door, begging for shelter, yelling that his colony had been decimated – “That is the Windrock Monastery, isn’t it? Outside of the human town, Garen’s Well.”

The human nodded. "It is....but those inside do not interact with us much anymore. We still leave monthly tithes - I used some of the herbs for your wounds."

“If they are there,” Hyungwon said, echoing the sentiments of most of the Garen’s Well residents who were too frightened state that their tithes were useless. He eyed Kihyun carefully, noting his lack of tattoos, piercings, or pointed ears. “You must be a human of Garen’s Well. I’ve heard we are only stories to you.”

"My mother used to frighten me with stories of elves stealing me away if I didn't behave," Kihyun admitted, a bit self-conscious of his plain, unornamented attire and features. "You are just myths and bedtime stories to humans now."

He scoffed. “We would not be so base as to steal human children. They would not survive our way of life – neither would a Shadar-Kai in a human village. I should go.” Hyungwon tried to stand up, but pain soared through his body, and he ended up gripping the edge of the table for balance.

"No!" Kihyun protested, reaching out for the elf protectively. "You were badly hurt and you still haven't healed. You need to rest. There is no point in you leaving if you are just going to collapse before you can even get to your horse."

The elf slowly sat back down, reluctant. “I have nowhere to return. Is…is this meadery protected well? I am afraid that ‘m not much use at the moment.” He offered a small smirk. “I won’t be stealing your children.”

"There's never really been a need to protect it - no one has wanted to harm me or my family before me," Kihyun said with a shrug. "And I have no children for you to steal. It's just me here."

“I am still at war.” Hyungwon picked up the knife again, this time to slice the cheese and apple that Kihyun had left for him. “We are born in war, and we die in it. My enemies lack dignity or mercy, and would easily go after a wounded elf. But here…I doubt I will be found here. We avoid human settlements.”

Kihyun's eyes couldn't stop following the knife the elf held so deftly, nibbling nervously at his bottom lip. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Hyungwon set the knife down with an unusual reverence held for a simple bread knife. “…I would like to sample your mead.”

The human blinked at the other in surprise, for the first time his face lighting up. Brewing was the one thing he was good at. "Ah, yes....I'll get some." He scrambled to his feet, returning after a few moments with a mug filled with the sweet, honey brew.

The elf studied the human’s face carefully. Despite the whispers among his kind, he wasn’t the hideous creature from his childhood, the ones who sought out elves to hunt and kill. This one could, even for the elves, be considered quite attractive – yet he lived alone, something that Hyungwon knew was unusual in human settlements.

He took a sip from the mug, his face expressionless for several moments while the taste coursed through his system. “This is from lavender honey, isn’t it?” A pleased smile appeared on Hyungwon’s face. “From very well-fed bees.”

Kihyun leaned forward, slender hands gesturing expressively as his smile broadened. "Yes, there are fields of lavender nearby and my bees favor it. I think it makes the flavor of the mead more intense than honey from other wildflowers. I could show you the hives once you are feeling better...." he offered, then shook his head, enthusiastic smile fading. "No, forgive me. I'm sure that is not something you are interested in. It gets a bit....lonely around here sometimes but that is no reason to bother you with such frivolous things."

“Making mead is a highly-prized art among my people.” Hyungwon’s earlier brusqueness melted into curiosity. “Only our most skilled artisans are allowed to learn this craft, and only after years of training with the hives. I would very much like to see how humans brew mead this sweet.”

The furrow that had developed between Kihyun's brows smoothed away, some of the tension easing. "I learned from my father...and his father before him. We've been brewing for generations. 'If you treat the bees well, they will reward you' - that's what my father used to say."

Hyungwon took another sip, the liquid still smooth and sweet. “We would experiment with our bees, with flowers from across the continent, wherever we were set up for battle. I would always make sure there was lavender and yellow mountain flower in our kits, the bees preferred those – as did the warriors.”

"I've never been more than a day's journey away from here," Kihyun murmured, taking a sip of his own mug of the golden brew. "So I've never tried yellow mountain flower....does the taste differ that much?"

“It does. The yellow mountain flower grows only in caves, in the Southern Mountains. The flower raw is more of an earthy taste, and that imparts into the honey and mutes some of the sweetness…which the more skilled mazers know to draw out with bits of pear and rose hip added after the second racking.” He dropped the terms without thinking, in quiet reminisce of his days as one of the mazers. 

"I should write that down," Kihyun mused, searching around for a bit of parchment and a quill, then shook his head. "No, it isn't likely that I will even come across such a flower. It is better to stick to what I know, I suppose..."

“…You do not travel for your seeds or flowers?” The elf’s eyebrows rose. “Then how will you know what blends you could make – or what your customers would want to drink?”

"I use what I can find around here - or what the traders bring to the market," Kihyun murmured. "I try variations but nothing tastes as good as what is made with lavender honey. That's all the townspeople ask for."  
“..I have mountain flower seeds in my satchel, which should be on my horse,” Hyungwon said thoughtfully. “When my legs are better, I shall share them with you – and the best way to prepare mead with it. I am – was – a mazer. I may be the last of the Shadar-Kai mazers.”

 

The human's eyes widened in surprise. "But I have nothing to give you in return," he murmured, certain he was nothing more than an anonymous weak human to the Shadar-Kai.

“This is your home, isn’t it?” His eyes wandered over the comfortable main room and the satchel hanging on a nearby hook. “Unless you are not Kihyun—“ he indicated the name, embroidered on the front. “—But if you are, I am in your debt.”

Kihyun found himself flushing in embarrassment at his bad manners. "Ah, yes, I am Kihyun and this is my home. I know it isn't much but you are welcome for as long as you wish to stay."

Hyungwon nodded, looking quite pleased with himself for having deduced that information. “I will regain my strength and leave you be, but not before you learn how to make mead with yellow mountain flower.”

"Are you saying my mead is no good?" Kihyun countered in mock offense, his eyes shining with good humor. It was nice to talk to someone about something other than the price of items at the market or how much his latest brew cost.

“I am not saying your mead is no good. I have already told you that I enjoy your mead.” Hyungwon’s voice went flat, reminiscent of the stories – elves did not joke – but the twinkle in his eyes spoke differently.

“I am saying my mead is better.”

"You'll just have to prove that then," Kihyun said with a pout, taking another deep draw from his own mug.

\--

As much as Hyungwon enjoyed Kihyun’s mead and the coziness of an above ground home – Kihyun had explained very patiently that humans weren’t equipped to live underground as the Shadar-Kai preferred – he was quite happy when he was able to walk slowly around the home without assistance, and later the short distance to Kihyun’s apiaries. He would fire off question after question about their construction, watching in fascination as the human would pull out tray after tray, dripping with sweet honey.

 

“Where is your mazer’s tattoo?” He asked one day, when he felt well enough to help in harvesting the hives. “Do you humans not find your future in the stings?”

Kihyun had been licking his fingers, cleaning the remnants of sticky honey when the elf's question made him look up in confusion. "Mazer's tattoo? Future in the stings?" he repeated uncertainly. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

Hyungwon proudly rolled up his sleeve, showing an intricate pattern of tiny constellation patterns that decorated his arm. “When a Shadar-Kai is considered to have shown the skills necessary to become a mazer, they are taken to the hives. They must place their arm fully into a hive and not wince or grimace, nor make a sound. After they remove their arm, the sting sites are marked, then tattooed by the colony’s Seer. She then reads the tattoo and tells you of your future.”

Kihyun looked from Hyungwon's tattoo to his own bare arm, offering a soft sigh. "We do not have such rituals. Humans don't know their future. It's probably better that way."

“You do not mark your warriors with decorations, or welcome the first full moon at the harvest, or prepare yourselves to fight dragons…then how do you mark your coming of age, or your feast days?” The elf caught a stray drop of honey off a tray and popped it into his mouth. 

Kihyun's eyes followed the movement of the elf's fingers, then looked quickly away as he realized what he was doing. "Oh, um.....we just....don't," he mumbled apologetically. "I'm no warrior, I'm just a mazer. I hunt no dragons and my coming of age - well, it was just another day. I took over the meadery that day, I guess."

“Then how…” Hyungwon used his free hand to gesture outwards, not seeming to notice where Kihyun’s gaze was fixated. “..How do you protect this village, with no warriors here? Who tells your story?” He had been in the meadery’s cask room while the bar was open, listening keenly to the conversations that happened above his head – complimenting the brew, complaints about children, or chickens, or how much needed to be done before harvest time. 

"There really isn't anything to protect," Kihyun said with a shake of his head. "The village is small and we rarely get any visitors other than the traders. The people who live here are farmers for the most part. I guess we just figure there's nothing anyone would want here. No one has ever attacked us."

“…That, I think, is what’s the most foreign to me.” Hyungwon started to carefully scrape a tray, leaving the waxy comb expertly. “Our colonies are always under attack – the Shadar-Kai consider themselves both warriors and artists, with an emphasis on war. A young elf receives their first piercing with their first kill, the rest are for particularly expert kills. The more decoration on the jewelry, the more skilled his opponent was deemed to be. “ Hyungwon pushed back a lock of dark hair, now silky from being cleaned regularly, and showed off one of his ears, with several pieces of intricate jewelry hanging from it. “There is honor in our art, which spawns our tattoos – but the artisans are always the first to die.”

 

The human almost reached out to touch Hyungwon's ear but held himself back, not sure how the elf would perceive such a gesture. "You must have killed many skilled warriors," he said quietly. "I'm sure you think I am such a coward. I would probably run away if someone attacked me," he admitted, his voice painfully honest. "I keep to myself most of the time. Just me and the bees."

“I believe…that would have been my path, had I been born human,” Hyungwon decided. “My last battle…we were quite outnumbered, and perhaps I am a coward for escaping, for recognizing the yellow mountain flowers and knowing that there had to be a cave nearby—he looked at the small patch he had planted—“and using them to find a cave entrance and a way out of that. Perhaps I am the only survivor from that. Not all of our paths should be forged in blood.”

"Well, I'm glad you survived," Kihyun admitted. "I know you'll have to leave eventually but you have made things much less....lonely here."

“I can’t rely on your hospitality forever…I’m sure you’ll need me ut of your way, soon enough.” The elf stooped and plucked one of the vividly yellow mountain flowers, offering the blossom to his friend. “Eat this, you’ll understand the earthy taste it’ll give your mead.”

The smaller human took the flower, fingertips lightly brushing against the elf's. He separated a small petal and popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes as he felt the smoky sweet flavor burst on his tongue. "Oh, it's good..."

A jolt of – was that happiness?  
He couldn’t help but to notice how much smaller and delicate Kihyun’s fingers looked next to his weathered ones, and a sudden urge to protect flooded through his body – protecting, _claiming_ , fulfilling his culture’s traditions—

He carefully scraped out the tiny center and offered it on his fingertip. “If you enjoy the petal…this is the best tasting.”

Kihyun opened his eyes slowly, the petite human studying the other's finger as if trying to figure out how to taste the pollen. Naively he finally leaned forward, tongue darting out to kittenishly lick off the sweet substance, humming to himself. "So good,' he couldn't help but reply.

“In my tradition—“ Hyungwon started, once he regained control of his senses. “That gesture is only mean to be shared between the lovers, or those stating intent.” It was unconscious, automatic – and Kihyun’s barely-there licks reminded him that if his fellow mazer was Shadar-Kai, it would be serious.

Kihyun pulled back, licking the last traces of pollen off his lips, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as Hyungwon's words sank in. "I.....I'm so sorry.....I'm sure that was a terrible insult to you."

“You are not stating intent?” Hyungwon tilted his head, letting his earrings catch the sun’s fading rays.

The human was well and truly flustered. "I....I'm not sure what you mean. You are very attractive, Hyungwon. Anyone could see that. You are so beautiful and brave and smart and I'm just.....not." Kihyun finished with a sag of his shoulders. He'd embarrassed himself thoroughly. "I should just go make dinner...."

“Ah. Perhaps humans express their intent in other ways.” The elf blocked Kihyun’s path back towards the cottage and suddenly kissed him, a gesture that was as gentle as it was swift. “Like that?”

Kihyun gasped as soft, supple, yet somehow knowing lips descended upon his own. He gripped the sleeve of the elf's shirt to keep himself upright, his knees growing weak.

“My tattoo reads that my fate lies outside of the colony, with the one whose fingertips could make me feel happiness,” Hyungwon murmured. “That is how I show my intent…and I believe that is how humans show theirs.” His arms supported the smaller human, keeping him upright. 

Kihyun looked up into those vivid eyes. "And you think my fingertips could make you happy - even though I'm just a human?" he asked in wonder. "You've been here for only a few weeks but you make me feel more real, more alive, than I ever have," the human admitted.

“There are records in our history, of elves and humans expressing intent and becoming lovers, but these records are ancient, perhaps not even worth mentioning in human history.” Hyungwon’s voice was low and smooth, no traces of the frightened elf with a knife from a few weeks earlier. “…I believe we can recreate this, if you accept my intent.”

Kihyun studied the elf's face, memorizing the angle of his jaw, the slim nose, the elegant lips. He traced the myriad of piercings that decorated those tapered ears and the tattoos that crawled up his neck to disappear beneath that thick, silky hair. Everything about Hyungwon was mysterious and beautiful and felt more like reality than anything his family and the town with its bustling humans could offer. "I accept your intent," he whispered, leaning forward to brush his lips shyly against Hyungwon's.

If Hyungwon had an inkling before of what it meant to be happy, this surpassed it. The press of his lips, the way that the smaller human felt in his arms, how he smelled of sweat and dirt and honey. This was beyond what he was taught, beyond the rituals of his people – they lived short, brutal lives, and romance happened just as quickly, for the warriors would always be off to battle. 

This time, the warrior could stay.

Even if it was just for a night, even if his colony found him the next day, he could stay for the night. 

They didn’t need much, none of the tricks that Hyungwon had learned or the tools suggested by Kihyun’s meadery patrons. All they needed was the fire, a jar of oil, and each other.

That and a quiet home, isolated from the main area of Garen’s Well.

\--

Hyungwon’s nightly activities were exacerbating his healing process, but in time, he was able to move more independently, although he dared not go near the village.

“They wouldn’t understand,” Kihyun had explained patiently. “You know that we’ve been taught that elves have been dead for thousands of years, they’ll think that both of us are delusional. Even Widow Oh thought you had birth defects.”

“I still fail to see why you remain with these people.” The distaste in the elf’s low voice was evident. “Artisans do not flourish in ignorance.”

“It’s my home.” Hyungwon couldn’t make out Kihyun’s features in the fading firelight, but he knew that he was frowning. “I know it’s hard for you to understand home, but I grew up here. I worked on the farms here, had my sicknesses treated here, this is where I celebrated all my milestones. Maybe the people here don’t understand what it’s like to be a mazer, but I do. I make them happy.”

“I’ve often wondered what it was like to stay in one place, like you. I suppose that I would feel the same way, if that were the Shadar-Kai’s life,” Hyungwon mused. “It’s too dangerous for colony to stay in one place, or even with the same people. We scatter for safety, but we always manage to regroup to move on.”

“…And if they find you here?”

The elf didn’t respond, his quiet, even breathing signaling that he had fallen asleep.

Kihyun curled into Hyungwon’s nude frame and watched the fire die out.

“Never mind. I don’t want to hear that answer.”

\--

“You deserve the first mug.”  
The smell of honey and Hyungwon’s voice broke through Kihyun’s deep sleep, and he blearily opened his eyes to see the mug, centimeters away from his face.

“I generally don’t drink mead first thing in the morning,” he tried to joke, but Hyungwon’s earnest smile made him reconsider. It was uncasking day, he remembered, and he would finally be awarded with his famed (by Hyungwon, at least) mead. He sat up and accepted the mug, inhaling deeply to get more of the sweet, earthy scent.

Hyungwon’s eyes sparked while he watched, holding his breath while his lover tried the potent brew. He knew it would be different from his usual meads, but with the blended lavender and mountain flower honey—

Kihyun’s eyes slid shut in satisfaction. The mead was sweeter and smokier than anything he had ever produced, the addition of new pollen making the blend rich and heavy (not that he’d ever say it was _better_ than his creations).

“Well?” Hyungwon prompted, leaning forward to hear Kihyun’s critique.

Kihyun kissed him instead, and Hyungwon tasted his new creation off his lips.

“I’d say….you’re _almost_ as good of a mazer as me,” the human teased.

\--

On Kihyun’s next visit to the monastery, Hyungwon accompanied him. This time, he didn’t have to imagine a bustling world full of crowds and fantastical creatures, not when an elaborately-tattooed elf walked by his side, carrying a second bundle full of supplies. Just in case they were there, Kihyun had reasoned, it would be an apology for taking the herbs in his last basket.  
The monastery towered over them, still appearing empty and untouched, but Hyungwon suddenly came to a halt.  
“Is something wrong?” Kihyun asked, before falling silent and following the elf’s outstretched finger.

_A horse, tied to the post.  
A tattooed man, pounding at the door and yelling in an indecipherable language._

“Hoseok. From my colony,” Hyungwon murmured, stopping Kihyun from going any further. He called out to his fellow elf in the same language and headed up the path, leaving the human behind.

Kihyun only understood a few words in Shadar-Kai, basic things like _mead, honey, love._ Hoseok’s harsh tone and Hyungwon’s closed-off stance signaled that none of those words were being spoken – a sick feeling formed in the pit of his stomach.  
The Shadar-Kai were warriors before artisans, fighters ready to leave their lovers at a moment’s notice. Hyungwon’s more elaborate and numerous tattoos branded him both as a strong fighter and craftsman – but the fighting, Kihyun remembered, produced the more elaborate scenes inked onto his skin.

He couldn’t take it anymore and joined Hyungwon, with the elf immediately drawing him into a protective embrace. “This is Kihyun,” the elf introduced, switching to Common. “The human mazer.”

“Your intended.” Hoseok tucked errant strands of hair behind his pointed ear as he stared the human down. “He can’t come with you. It’s too dangerous for humans.”

“What’s he talking about?” Kihyun asked. “You’re…you’re going to have to fight again, aren’t you?”

“My colony has found a safe place, across the sea.” Hyungwon glanced away. “But traveling with a human is dangerous, and it would be foolish of me to take you.”

“We need him to come with us, human intended or not. There are humans across the sea, Hyungwon. Traveling with your colony will not stop you from finding another, if you think that’s your destiny.” 

“I see…” Kihyun’s voice trailed off, and he slowly extricated himself from Hyungwon. “…If that’s your destiny, then I can’t stop you, can I? I know you miss your family.”

“My colony,” Hyungwon corrected. “We don’t have families—the closest thing we have to the human concept of family is our intended.”

Kihyun closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “…But you miss them, and those are the only ones left. I understand, Hyungwon. You said you could never be happy staying in a village like mine, and I can’t leave my family, either. I still don’t understand what the intended are, or what you need—except that it’s not something I can just fill with love. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Ki—“ Hyungwon started, his words not reaching the human’s ears. He had dropped the bundles and ran, far from the sight of the two elves.  
Hyungwon couldn’t see him cry.

He couldn’t see him cry on the way back, along his favorite river, in the fields.

Not in the Summerstrand Meadery.

Not in the morning, when the other side of his bed was cold.

\--

“Elves’ Brew? Weird name for it, but I like it,” Son Hyunwoo commented as he tried Kihyun’s latest creation. “I guess this was the big secret project mead that was keeping you away from the village. I should do that when I’m tired; just say I’m making some new secret bread. You think people will fall for it?”

Kihyun laughed as he poured another mug for a customer. “I think everyone will be starving for your bread, hyung – unless you have your wife running the shop while you’re experimenting.”

“She’d have my head if I had her doing all the work, not to mention that we’ll be having another little one soon. I doubt I’ll ever have time.” Hyunwoo sighed good-naturedly. “I envy you sometimes, Kihyun. No wife, no kids, just you and all the mead you can drink.”

“Sell,” Kihyun corrected. “And it’s disgusting-tasting while it’s fermenting, but I still have to check it then. Except for the Elves’ Brew, that always tastes good.”

“Then I’d only make that,” Hyunwoo declared. “Right, I forgot to tell you about my son’s first time out in the field…”

Kihyun half-listened as he watched the door, which never opened for a tattooed elven warrior.

\--

There were still bees that needed attending, patches of flowers that needed watering, and mead to make. Days slipped by in the same languid pace that had always engulfed Garen’s Well. News would trickle in slowly, and Kihyun would listen, aching for even a hint of a message from Hyungwon. Had he made it there safely? Was he happy?  
Had he found another intended?

He had borrowed an old book of fairy tales from Hyunwoo, one that detailed legends about the elves of centuries past and their customs. The section on the Shadar-Kai was short yet Kihyun only read one line of it, over and over:  
_A Shadar-Kai will demonstrate his interest by greeting the object of his affection with a kiss. Should the other accept, that is his intended – the one whom the Shadar-Kai will remain with for life._

For life apparently meant only a few months to the Shadar-Kai, or Kihyun was never his intended at all.

His bees never judged him as they swarmed their hives, ignoring the wet-cheeked keeper.

\--

The honey was sweet as usual, but Kihyun still thought of pulling out the patch of yellow mountain flower. No matter how popular his Elves’ Brew had gotten, it never tasted as good as that first mug that Hyungwon had poured for him.

He closed his eyes, recalling the sweet taste, Hyungwon’s lips, and the lazy morning of lovemaking that had followed, the one that had only ended because they had to tend to the apiaries.  
If he kept his eyes closed long enough, he could remember his lover’s body, decorated with the tattoos that just served to make him more perfect, in Kihyun’s opinion.

A loud thud by his feet startled him out of his daydream, and he opened his eyes to see several small bundles laid out before him.

Strange, he thought as he knelt down to inspect. No one came to the apiaries, they were too afraid of stings—

He slowly opened one of the bundles, finding nothing but seeds – ones that he had never seen before.

“Wispbell,” a familiar voice offered. “Found growing near rivers in the mountains, and it brings just the right touch of salt to bring out the flavor in both honey and mead.”

Only one person spoke like that. Kihyun felt his knees grow weak as he fell in front of the bundles.

“….Hyungwon…”

The warrior knelt and gathered his lover into his arms. “I decided to part ways with my colony. They’re at peace in their new settlement—and I’m at peace here, following my future with my intended.”

Hyungwon’s skin was warm and real and _alive_ when Kihyun rested his cheek on his shoulder. “And the seeds?”

“A gift of apology—and another chance to prove I’m the better mazer.” The elf smiled. “Is this acceptable?”

A smile touched Kihyun’s lips for the first time in months. “More than acceptable.”


End file.
